Tag Archives: 1965 rewind

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Forty

MINNESOTA 6, WASHINGTON 0 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Sunday, May 30.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his fifth), a double, and a walk.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs.  Joe Nossek was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Pitching star:  Camilo Pascual pitched a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Steve Ridzik struck out two in two innings, allowing one run on two hits.  Frank Howard was 2-for-4.

The game:  A pair of singles and a sacrifice fly put the Twins on top 1-0 in the second.   Versalles hit a three-run homer in the fourth that made the score 4-0 and left the Twins in control of the game.  The Senators' biggest threat came in the third, when they had the bases loaded with two out.  Pascual took control after that, retiring the next fifteen batters.  Jerry Zimmerman singled in a run in the seventh and Harmon Killebrew homered in the ninth.

Of note:  Jerry Kindall, back in the second spot, was 1-for-5.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-5.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.

Record:  The win made the Twins 26-14 and put them back into first place, a half game ahead of Chicago.

Notes:  Jimmie Hall and Earl Battey were rested in this game, with Nossek and Zimmerman taking their spots.  The catcher for Washington was Mike Brumley, whose 0-for-4 left his average at .106.  He would do better the rest of the season, ending with an average of .208.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-nine

MINNESOTA 11, WASHINGTON 8 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Saturday, May 29, 2015.

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 3-for-6 with a home run (his second) and a double, scoring twice and driving in five.  Zoilo Versalles was 3-for-6 with a double, scoring three times and driving in two.  Jerry Kindall was 2-for-4 with a triple and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.

Pitching star:  Jerry Fosnow struck out five in 3.2 innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits and three walks.

Opposition stars:  Jim King was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fifth) and a walk, scoring three times.  Frank Howard was 3-for-5 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.  Bob Chance was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fourth) and a double, driving in two.

The game:  RBI doubles by Howard and Chance highlighted a three-run first that gave the Senators a 3-0 lead.  The Twins got two in the third when Kindall hit a run-scoring triple and scored on a ground out.  A home run by Chance and two-run homer by Eddie Brinkman made it 6-2 Washington after four.  Rollins hit a two-run homer in a three run fifth that pulled the Twins within one at 6-5, but King homered leading off the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-5.  The Twins finally went ahead with a five-run sixth, tying the score a two-run double by Versalles and going in front on Rollins' two-run single.  Each team scored once in the ninth.

Of note:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-5 with a walk and a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with two walks.  Jimmie Hall was 3-for-3 with an RBI, raising his average to .302.  Earl Battey was 2-for-3 with two runs, raising his average to .316.  Mudcat Grant lasted only three innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout.

Record:  The win made the Twins 25-14 but they remained in second place, a half game behind Chicago.

Notes:  I don't remember hearing of Jim King before, but he had kind of an interesting career.  He reached the majors with the Cubs in 1955 and had a couple of decent seasons, hitting around .250 and hitting 26 home runs combined, for an OPS of around .750.  He then spent most of the next four seasons in the minors, playing in a handful of big league games for St. Louis in 1957 and San Francisco in 1958. The Senators took him in the expansion draft and he was a semi-regular for them for six years.  His best year was 1961, when he hit .270 with an OPS of .811, but he had his career high of 24 homers in 1963.  He spent 1967 with Washington, the White Sox, and Cleveland, being traded by the White Sox for Rocky Colavito.  He retired after that season, went back to his home town of Elkins, Arkansas, and went to work for the phone company.  He passed away last February at the age of 82.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-eight

MINNESOTA 4, WASHINGTON 1 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Friday, May 28.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a home run (his ninth) and three RBIs.  Bob Allison was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.  Dave Boswell was 2-for-2 with a triple and a run.

Pitching stars:  Boswell struck out five in 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and three walks.  Bill Pleis pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Phil Ortega pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Ken McMullen was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Frank Howard was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The game:  The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the third when Boswell led off with a triple and scored on Oliva's two-out single.  The Senators did not really threaten through five, and in fact Boswell had retired nine in a row when he issued a two-out walk in the sixth and was replaced by Johnny Klippstein.  Allison homered in the seventh and Oliva hit a two-run blast in the eighth to make it 4-0.  The lone Washington run came in the eighth when McMullen hit a leadoff double and scored on Howard's one-out single.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-4.  Rich Rollins was 1-for-4 with a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4.  Earl Battey was 0-for-2 with two walks.

Record:  The win made the Twins 24-14 and kept them in second place, a half game behind Chicago.

Notes:  There was no apparent reason Boswell was removed, but he had not pitched since May 19 and would not pitch again until June 6, so he may have had a minor injury.  I did not remember that Gil Hodges was the manager of Washington at this time.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-seven

BOSTON 2, MINNESOTA 0 IN BOSTON

Date:  Thursday, May 27.

Batting stars:  Frank Kostro was 1-for-2 with two walks.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his second.  Jimmie Hall was 0-for-2 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Jim Kaat pitched seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Johnny Klippstein pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Dave Morehead pitched eight shutout innings, allowing three hits and six walks with five strikeouts.  Felix Mantilla was 2-for-3 with a run.  Carl Yastrzemski was 1-for-2 with a walk.

The game:  It was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh, when singles by Yastrzemski, Mantilla, and Tony Conigliaro loaded the bases with none out.  The next batter hit into a force out, but then an error and a sacrifice fly brought home a pair of runs.  The Twins biggest threats came in the first and last innings.  In the first, with two out, a single, an error, and a walk loaded the bases but Bob Allison popped up.  Three one-out walks filled the bases in the ninth, but Dick Radatz came on to strike out pinch-hitters Don Mincher and Sandy Valdespino to end the game.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 0-for-4.  Jerry Kindall was 0-for-4.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-4.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 23-14 and dropped them to second place, a half game behind Chicago.

Notes:  Kostro was playing in place of Rich Rollins, who was apparently rested.  Kindall was moved back to the second spot in the batting order.  Earl Battey was apparently rested as well.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-six

MINNESOTA 9, BOSTON 7 IN BOSTON

Date:  Wednesday, May 26.

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a home run (his sixth) and two walks, scoring three times.  Bob Allison was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his sixth) and a walk, scoring twice.  Earl Battey was 2-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched 3.2 innings of relief, giving up an unearned run on three hits and no walks with one strikeout.  Bill Pleis pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Carl Yastrzemski was 1-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in three.  Felix Mantilla was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.  Dick Radatz struck out four in two shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk.

The game:  It was a game of big innings.  Allison hit a three-run homer in a four-run top of the first.  The Red Sox got one back in the bottom of the first and scored five in the second, highlighted by Yastrezemski's three-run double, to go up 6-4.  Killebrew homered in the third to cut the lead to 6-5.  In the fifth, Tony Oliva homered and Battey had a two-run double in a four-run inning that gave the Twins a 9-6 lead.  Boston got one in the sixth to make it 9-7 but did not score again.  They did load the bases with two out in the ninth, but Al Worthington came in to retire Tony Conigliaro on a ground out to end the game.

Of note:  Rich Rollins was 0-for-3.  Oliva was 1-for-5 with a home run, his eighth.  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-5 with a run.  Camilo Pascual started but lasted only 1.2 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks with no strikeouts.

Record:  The win made the Twins 23-13 and put them in a tie for first place with Chicago (the Twins led based on winning percentage).

Notes:  The Twins were really struggling to find a second-place hitter.  They started the season with Jerry Kindall in that spot, but by this time he had been dropped to eighth and was hitting .204.  He was replaced with Rollins, who was little better--the 0-for-3 in this game dropped him to .227.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-five

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MINNESOTA 17, BOSTON 5 IN BOSTON

Date:  Tuesday, May 25.

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer (his fifth) and a walk, scoring three times.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourth) and a double, scoring three times and driving in three.  Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a walk, scoring twice and driving in five.

Pitching stars:  Mudcat Grant pitched a complete game, giving up five runs on eight hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Eddie Bressoud was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and a double.  Jerry Moses hit a pinch-hit home run.  Gary Geiger, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, hit a home run in his only at-bat.

The game:  Tony Oliva singled in the first run and a second scored on a ground out, putting the Twins up 2-0 in the first inning.  In the fourth, Allison hit a two-run homer and Jerry Kindall had a solo shot in a four-run inning that made it 6-0.  The Red Sox got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, but the Twins scored five in the fifth to put the game out of reach.  Battey had a three-run homer and Versalles a two-run homer in the inning.

Of note:  Rich Rollins was 2-for-6 with a double.  Oliva was 2-for-6 with a home run (his seventh), scoring twice and driving in three.  Harmon Killebrew was 3-for-6 with two runs, raising his average to .302.

Record:  The win made the Twins 22-13, still in second place, but only one game behind Chicago.

Notes:  Pitchers were definitely used differently in 1965.  We've seen a lot of quick hooks, and then we see Grant pitch a complete game in a 17-5 victory.  I cannot think of a circumstance in which a pitcher would throw a 17-5 complete game now.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-four

KANSAS CITY 6, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, May 22.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, and a walk, scoring once.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Sandy Valdespino was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Pitching star:  Dick Stigman struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Fred Talbot struck out seven in 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks.  Ken Harrelson was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Mike Hershberger was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.

The game:  In the first inning, Harrelson had an RBI triple and scored on a wild pitch to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead.  Valdespino delivered a two-out RBI single in the third to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Athletics got two more in the fourth on two singles, an error, and a sacrifice fly.  The Twins never got closer than three runs after that.

Of note:  Tony Oliva was 0-for-5 with a run, dropping his average to .227.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-4.  Earl Battey was 1-for-4.

Record:  The loss dropped the Twins to 21-13, still in second, still two games behind Chicago.

Notes:  The Twins used two pitchers as pinch-runners, Dave Boswell and Mudcat Grant.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-three

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MINNESOTA 6, KANSAS CITY 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, May 21.

Batting stars:  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his third) and a walk, scoring twice.  Jimmie Hall was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run.  Rich Rollins was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Camilo Pascual struck out eight in eight innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on six hits and five walks.

Opposition stars:  Jim Gentile was 1-for-5 with a two-run homer, his ninth.  Jim Landis was 1-for-4 with a walk, scoring twice.  Bert Campaneris was 1-for-4 with a walk, a run, and a stolen base (his tenth).

The game:  A bases-loaded walk to Jerry Kindall gave the Twins a 1-0 lead in the second inning.  Gentile hit a two-run homer in the third to put the Athletics ahead 2-1.  The Twins got the lead back in the fifth, with Tony Oliva's RBI single tying the score and a double play putting them in front.  Versalles hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 5-2 and Earl Battey had an RBI single in the seventh to increase the lead to 6-2.  It looked like it was over, but Kansas City opened the ninth with a walk and a single, resulting in the removal of Pascual.  Bill Pleis got a strikeout, but an error made it 6-3 and brought the tying run to the plate.  Al Worthington came in and got the final two outs (one a run-scoring ground out) to end the game.

Of note:  Sandy Valdespino was 1-for-5 with a run.  Oliva was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Record:  The win made the Twins 21-12, still in second place, but now only two games behind Chicago.

Notes:  Bob Allison sat out this game and would only pinch-hit in the next one, leading one to think he might have had a minor injury or illness.  Starter Diego Segui was removed in the second inning after the bases-loaded walk to Kindall.  That's a remarkably quick hook.  It's possible that he had a minor injury or illness, too, but he not only made his next start on schedule, he threw a complete game in it.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-two

MINNESOTA 3, CALIFORNIA 1 IN CALIFORNIA

Date:  Wednesday, May 19 (Game 2 of doubleheader).

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 0-for-0 with four walks and a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-4 with a run.  Jerry Kindall was 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Mudcat Grant pitched 7.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Al Worthington pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Rudy May struck out six in six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and four walks.  Costen Shockley was 1-for-3 with an RBI.  Lou Clinton was 1-for-3 with a run.

The game:  Jerry Zimmerman singled in a run in the second to put the Twins up 1-0.  Kindall had an RBI single in the fifth and a run scored on a ground out in the sixth to make it 3-0.  The Angels did not threaten until the seventh, when two singles and a sacrifice fly cut the lead to 3-1.  The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but failed to add to their lead.  With one out in the bottom of the eighth, an error and a walk resulted in Grant being replaced by Worthington, but the Angels never got the tying run past first base.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-5 with a triple and a run.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-5.

Record:  The doubleheader sweep put the Twins at 20-12, still in second, three games behind Chicago.

Notes:  Jimmie Hall and Earl Battey were rested in this game, although each was used as a pinch-hitter.  Albie Pearson was removed from the game after the first inning, presumably due to injury.  He would miss a few games, but would be back within a week.

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game Thirty-one

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MINNESOTA 3, CALIFORNIA 1 IN CALIFORNIA (12 INNINGS)

Date:  Wednesday, May 19 (Game 1 of doubleheader)

Batting stars:  Sandy Valdespino was 3-for-6 with a double and a run.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with two walks and two RBIs.  Earl Battey was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Pitching stars:  Dave Boswell pitched six innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  Jerry Fosnow pitched three perfect innings.  Al Worthington pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Dean Chance pitched nine innings, allowing one run on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts.  Albie Pearson was 1-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a hit-by-pitch.  Bob Lee struck out two in two shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk.

The game:  Pearson led off the fourth with a home run to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.  In the eighth, Harmon Killebrew delivered a pinch-hit RBI double to tie it 1-1.  The Angels loaded the bases in the eleventh but left them loaded.  In the twelfth, singles by Zoilo Versalles and Valdespino put men on first and second with one out.  They were still there with two down, but Oliva delivered a two-run single (with Valdespino scoring from first base) to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.  Dick Stigman came in to throw a perfect twelfth to preserve the victory.

Of note:  Versalles was 1-for-6 with a run.  Rich Rollins was 1-for-6.

Record:  The win snapped a four-game losing streak and left the Twins in second place, four games behind Chicago.

Notes:  Killebrew and Bob Allison were both rested in this game, though both were used as pinch-hitters.  At this point, Pearson had two home runs, both against the Twins.  He would end the season with four.